Tag Archives: WPI

Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity brothers

Each year, Worcester’s Friendly House, along with the Worcester Sheriff’s
Department, Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity and other local sponsors, work together to collect food for a Thanksgiving meal program.

Our mission is to give local families a chance to spend their Thanksgiving holiday not worrying about putting food on the table.

Last year, our food drive was able to collect about 183,000 pounds of food!

This year the group is looking to raise the bar to 300,000 pounds. All of the donations will be distributed by
Friendly House to local families
in time for the holiday season.

In addition to serving food to families in need, Worcester’s Friendly House also
hosts a variety of after school programs for local youth at their facility and continues their work year round to support our Worcester community.

This is everyone’s chance to pitch in on the effort. Collection bags will be distributed to homes through most Worcester neighborhoods on Sunday, November 6, with a collection returning on Sunday the 13th.

This is an opportunity to
make monetary or non-perishable food donations.

In addition, donations can be
made from November 16 to Nov. 18 at the Price Chopper at 564 Southwest Cutoff.

Please take full opportunity to help us work to fight hunger in our Worcester community this holiday season!

Thank you!

Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity

******

And …

InCity Yum Yums

This just in! From WPI! Touch-Tomorrow fest!!!

June 6, 2016 admin

WPI Hosts 5th Annual TouchTomorrow Festival

June 11

Robots, Rockets, and even an Astronaut!

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Free!

One of the region’s largest interactive science, technology, and robotics festivals is returning to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on June 11.

TouchTomorrow is a free, family-friendly festival that features hands-on activities and exhibits designed to inspire children, teens, and young adults to explore the thrill and fun of science and technology.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine, and includes exhibits presented by WPI, NASA, WGBH, and a wide variety of museums, educational organizations, and companies.

The fifth anniversary festival will feature some favorite NASA exhibits, including the asteroid landscape, the Roll-over Rover, the famous MARCBot IV Rover, and the Mark III space suit. This year NASA is introducing its Virtual Reality chairs with monitors and Oculus glasses that take users on a planetary tour.

Visitors will also have the chance to meet and hear from Charlie Precourt, former NASA Chief Astronaut and veteran of four Space Shuttle missions.

WPI will also welcome back to campus Paul Ventimiglia, Class of 2012 and BattleBots 2015 World Champion. His robot, BiteForce, won the competition on national television and will defend the title this summer when the hit show returns to ABC prime time on June 23. In addition to BattleBots, Ventimiglia has had a number of victories in robotics competitions. In 2009, while still a student at WPI, he led a university-sponsored team in NASA’s Regolith Excavation Challenge. He will discuss what it takes to build an award-winning robot and give an insider’s look at the advancement in robotics.

For the third year in a row, WGBH will serve as the official media partner for the festival. A national leader in the effort to expand science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the classroom and at home, WGBH will host multimedia activities for students and STEM enthusiasts of all ages at TouchTomorrow. A number of popular WGBH characters, including Curious George, will make appearances throughout the day.

Among other activities, attendees at TouchTomorrow may:

Take a photo in a NASA spacesuit,

watch what happens to marshmallow Peeps inside a real vacuum chamber,

explore the Fire Protection Engineering lab and Automation and Interventional Medicine (AIM) lab at WPI’s Gateway Park,

engage in interactive activities—extract DNA from strawberries,

Build a raspberry-flavored solar cell,

help a robot play a musical instrument, and learn about advanced manufacturing technology, including laser cutters and 3-D printers,

talk with WPI researchers who are exploring autonomous vehicle technology, building homes of the future, and developing an exo-skeleton with hydro-muscles and …

see WPI student project work in robotics, game design and animation, architectural engineering, and other areas.

TouchTomorrow follows the NASA Sample Return Robot (SRR) Challenge, a Centennial Challenge competition to be held June 7-11 on WPI’s campus. The challenge—created to drive competition and innovation among individual inventors, students, and private companies—requires teams to design and build an autonomous robotic system that will locate and collect geological samples without human control. For more information on the SRR Challenge and a list of competitors, visit here.

“Every year, TouchTomorrow allows the WPI campus to become a hub of amazing interactive exhibits designed specifically to excite young people, families, and teachers about science and technology,” said WPI president Laurie Leshin. “The festival is the perfect way to cap off the NASA Sample Return Robot Competition. It is tremendously gratifying to welcome some of the most innovative robotics engineers from across the country to campus; it is also amazing to be able to show people of all ages that science, engineering and technology is amazing, fun, and critical to making the world a better place, and to empower them to envision their own futures in those fields.”

The future …

InCity Voices

City Councilor Mike Gaffney Plays Roulette with Public Safety

April 1, 2016 admin

By Gordon Davis

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is an engineering college here in Worcester. It is known worldwide for its engineering programs and graduates.

WPI has an urban campus (Institute Road) with public streets. Like many cities in the USA, the drivers in Worcester drive aggressively and arrogantly. Some drivers just go too fast for our streets.

In Worcester there is about one incident a week where a motorist strikes a pedestrian. Half of the incidents are hit and runs. Some result in the pedestrian’s death.

Last week a driver struck an older person on Shrewsbury Street. A long-time resident of Worcester said in a letter to the local newspaper that she was afraid to cross the streets of Worcester as some drivers go “50, 60 or 70” miles per hour.

My wife and I were almost struck by a speeding car as we entered the cross walk at the Marine Corp. League.

Crosswalk signal. photo: Gordon Davis

The cross walk signal was blinking bright yellow. It seemed that the motorist sped up!

It is my opinion that when a motorist strikes a pedestrian, he should receive an automatic $500 fine – regardless of fault. This would help remind motorists they MUST, in all cases, yield to pedestrians – or stop for pedestrians in some situations.

This issue of pedestrians and public safety is a serious one. People are dying. It should not be a political football. The crosswalk signals being requested by WPI should be built. These are public streets for which the City and the Worcester City Council are responsible.

Is money a higher priority than public safety and our lives?

Worcester City Councilor Michael T. Gaffney, like many others, seems to think so. We have a situation where Councilor Gaffney will delay or not expedite a public safety issue that has come before the Worcester City Council because he wants WPI to pay for all the crosswalk signals.

Some people seem to believe that pedestrians have no rights – except to get out of the way of a speeding vehicle!

I was told that a few folks were angry that I criticized the Majority Leader of the Massachusetts State Senate, Harriet Chandler, for her proposed bill to fine pedestrians who jaywalked. They were especially irked by my suggestion that motorists be automatically fined for striking pedestrians.

A pedestrian, when struck by a car, does not harm the motorist. The pedestrian never gets up and runs away from the scene of the accident.

Councilor Gaffney has previously made statements contrary to public safety. At a mayoral debate he stated that when a motorist strikes a pedestrian, the motorist suffers emotional anguish. He said nothing about the pedestrian’s pain and suffering!

So, as stated above, we have a situation where Councilor Gaffney will delay or not expedite a public safety issue because he wants WPI to pay for it. WPI already makes payment to the City of Worcester in lieu of taxes (PILOT). If Gaffney believes that WPI should pay more in PILOT to the City of Worcester then that can be negotiated. However, to hold as hostage or leverage an issue of public safety such as cross walk signals makes no sense and is playing roulette with our lives.

A reasonable person could conclude that Gaffney is using this issue to further his rumored career move to the State Senate. If so, shame on him for endangering the lives of Worcester residents and the public.

A reasonable person would install the cross walk signals now and negotiate a possible increase of WPI’s payment in lieu of taxes later.

Unfortunately, I do not know of many people who think Councilor Gaffney is a reasonable person.

Green Island Grrrl, Rosalie's Blog

This weekend be a part of WPI fraternity house T-day food drive! … and Holiday bazaar! …and more fun!

November 6, 2015 admin

By Elio Daci, WPI student

Each year, Worcester’s Friendly House, along with the Worcester Sheriff’s Department, the WPI Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity and other local sponsors, work together to collect food for a Thanksgiving meal program.

This program provides local families with a luxury that they may not otherwise be able to have: a Thanksgiving dinner. Our mission is give these families a chance to spend their Thanksgiving holiday not worrying about putting food on the table.

Last year, the food drive was able to collect almost 193,000 pounds of food, and this year, the group is looking to raise the bar to 200,000.

All of the donations will be distributed by Friendly House to local families in time for the holiday season.

In addition to serving food to families in need, Worcester’s Friendly House also hosts a variety of after school programs for local youth at their facility and continues their work year round to support our Worcester community.

This is everyone’s chance to pitch in on the effort!

Collection bags will be distributed to homes in most Worcester neighborhoods Sunday, November 8, with a WPI collection crew returning on Saturday the 14th to pick them up.

Please take full opportunity to help us work to fight hunger in our Worcester community this holiday season!

*******

Don’t forget! TOMORROW! 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Holiday happening!

******

LATER TODAY at the Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square

KIDS KNITTING CLASSES! COOL!

Green Island Grrrl, Rosalie's Blog

Go, WPI, go!!!!

October 28, 2015 admin

Each year, Worcester’s Friendly House, along with the Worcester Sheriff’s Department, WPI’s Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity and other local sponsors, work together to collect food for a Thanksgiving meal program.

This program provides local families with a luxury that they may not otherwise be able to have: a Thanksgiving dinner.

Our mission is give these families a chance to spend their Thanksgiving holiday not worrying about putting food on the table.

Last year, the food drive was able to collect almost 193,000 pounds of food, and this year, the group is looking to raise the bar to 200,000.

All of the donations will be distributed by Friendly House to local families in time for the holiday season.

In addition to serving food to families in need, Worcester’s Friendly House also hosts a variety of after school programs for local youth at their facility and continues their work year round to support our Worcester community.

This is everyone’s chance to pitch in on the effort.

Collection bags will be distributed out to homes through most sections of Worcester on Sunday November 8th with a collection returning on Saturday the 14th.

This is an opportunity to make monetary or non-perishable food items.

Please take full opportunity to help us work to fight hunger in our Worcester community this holiday season!

InCity Voices

WPI to host their 28th Annual Math Meet!

October 9, 2015 admin

High school teams from across New England will compete for more than $100,000 in scholarships to attend WPI

What: 28th Annual Invitational Mathematics Meet

Where: Sports and Recreation Center, WPI Campus, Worcester

When: Tuesday, October 20, 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The Department of Mathematical Sciences of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, in keeping with its commitment to K – 12 outreach and education, has for nearly 30 years brought bright, interested high school students to campus for innovative and exciting mathematical competitions.

In doing so, the university helps high school teachers throughout New England motivate their students to excel by exposing them to new research in math and its applications.

On October 20, 90 public and private schools from New England will participate in WPI’s 28th Annual Invitational Mathematics Meet, bringing roughly 360 students with their advisors to campus. Students and teams will compete against each other by completing a series of increasingly difficult math problems, which they must answer within a set amount of time to score points.

The winners will receive more than $100,000 in individual and team scholarships to WPI. The first-place winner of the individual student competition will receive a $3,000 scholarship and a plaque; the second- and third-place winners will receive $2,000 and $1,500 scholarships, respectively. Each of the remaining schools’ top scorers will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship, while the top nine team competition winners will receive WPI scholarships of up to $1,000 per team member.

The individual student competition will take place from 8:45 to 9:30 a.m., and the team competition occurs from 9:50 to 10:35 a.m.

Several members of the WPI Department of Mathematical Sciences will take part in the schedule of events – including a welcome from department head Luca Capogna and John Goulet, a WPI math professor and director of the Math Meet.

Dean of Arts and Sciences Karen Oates will also address students. High school advisors will hear from a WPI graduate student in mathematics.

The event will conclude with an awards ceremony which is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:45 p.m.

The following schools are scheduled to participate in the 28th Annual Invitational Mathematics Meet:

Algonquin Regional High School, Northborough, MA

AMSA Charter School, Marlboro, MA

Auburn High School, Auburn, MA

Bancroft School, Worcester, MA

BART Charter Public School, Adams, MA

Bay Path Regional Vocational High School, Charlton MA

Belmont High School, Belmont MA

Bishop Brady High School, Concord, NH

Bishop Feehan High School, Attleboro, MA

Bishop Stang High School, North Dartmouth, MA

Blackstone Millville Regional High School, Blackstone, MA

Bristol – Plymouth Vocational Technical High School, Taunton, MA

Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School, Cambridge, MA

Burrillville High School, Burrillville, RI

Cathedral High School, Boston, MA

CATS Academy, Newton, MA

Chicopee Comprehensive High School, Chicopee, MA

Clinton High School, Clinton, MA

Cumberland High School, Cumberland, RI

David Prouty High School, Spencer, MA

Derryfield School, Manchester, NH

Dover Sherborn High School, Dover, MA

East Providence High School, East Providence, RI

Frontier Regional School, Deerfield, MA

Grafton High School, Grafton, MA

Groton School, Groton, MA

Innovation Academy Charter School, Tyngsboro, MA

Keefe Technical High School, Framingham, MA

Kent School, Kent, CT

King Philip Regional High School, Wrentham, MA

LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI

Leominster High School, Leominster, MA

Littleton High School, Littleton, MA

Londonderry High School, Londonderry, NH

Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT

Ludlow High School, Ludlow, MA

Lunenburg High School, Lunenburg, MA

Manchester High School Central, Manchester, NH

Marianapolis Preparatory School, Thompson, CT

Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI, Worcester, MA

Medfield High School, Medfield, MA

Middleboro High School, Middleboro MA

Milton High School, Milton, MA

Minnechaug Regional High School, Wilbraham, MA

Minuteman Regional High School, Lexington, MA

Mohawk Trail Regional High School, Shelburne Falls, MA

Monument Mountain Regional High School, Barrington, MA

Nashua High School North, Nashua, NH

Nashua High School South, Nashua, NH

Natick High School, Natick, MA

Nauset Regional High School, Orleans, MA

North Brookfield Junior/Senior High School, North Brookfield, MA

North Providence High School, North Providence, RI

North Smithfield High School, North Smithfield, RI

Northampton High School, North Hampton, MA

Northfield Mount Hermon School, Gill, MA

Palmer High School, Palmer MA

Pentucket Regional High School, Newbury, MA

Ponaganset High School, North Scituate, RI

Rockville High School, Vernon, CT

Saint John’s High School, Shrewsbury, MA

Sanborn Regional High School, Kingston, NH

Silver Lake Regional High School, Kingston, MA

Smithfield High School, Smithfield, RI

Somerset Berkley Regional High School, Somerset, MA

Somersworth High School, Somersworth, NH

South High School, Worcester, MA

Southbridge Middle/High School, Southbridge, MA

Southwick Regional High School, Southwick, MA

Stafford High School, Stafford Springs, CT

Tabor Academy, Marion, MA

Tantasqua Regional High School, Fiskdale, MA

Taunton High School, Taunton, MA

Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, Franklin, MA

Ursuline Academy, Dedham MA

University Park Campus School, Worcester, MA

Uxbridge High School, Uxbridge, MA

Waltham High School, Waltham, MA

Ware Junior/Senior High School, Ware, MA

Warwick Veterans Memorial High School, Warwick, RI

Wells High School, Wells, ME

West Warwick High School, West Warwick, RI

Weymouth High School, Weymouth, MA

Whitinsville Christian School, Whitinsville, MA

Wilbraham & Monson Academy, Wilbraham, MA

Woonsocket High School, Woonsocket, MA

Worcester Academy, Worcester, MA

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute:

Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI is one of the nation’s first engineering and technology universities.

InCity Letters, InCity Voices, Uncategorized

Worcester college kids do good! WPI fraternity house collects food for families this Thanksgiving!

November 6, 2014 admin

This year, Lambda Chi Alpha at WPI will be working to fight hunger in Worcester through our 20th annual Food Drive to support Friendly House.

For the second year, we will be partnering with Sigma Alpha Epsilon at WPI in order to spread this initiative to the Shrewsbury area as well.

In addition, we partner with the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department, Price Chopper, the Worcester Sharks, and other local sponsors.

Over the past 20 years Lambda Chi Alpha has collected almost 2,000,000 lbs of food for local families in need, helping feed over 2,000 families each year during the holiday season.

Last year, we collected 146,000 lbs of food and this year, by spreading it to the WPI campus and possibly other campus’ in the Worcester Consortium, we hope to reach our new goal of 250,000 lbs.

Working with the Sheriff’s Department we help staff a table at Price Chopper (50 Cambridge street), this year from November 10th-16, to collect non-perishable food items.

Over the course of the week Price Chopper marks certain food items that are in particular need by Friendly House at the time.

Lambda Chi Alpha also distributes shopping bags to houses in the Worcester area, this year on November 9th, for people to fill with non-perishable food items. We then return on November 15th, rain or shine, to collect the filled bags.

We collect all these donations at our house and fill a box truck to send to Friendly House that afternoon.

We look forward to this event each year with the opportunity to organize this event and help out the less fortunate families in the Worcester and Shrewsbury area.

If you would like to donate to the Food Drive, watch for bags at your door on November 9 or contact Aaron Pepin, the Interim External Vice President for Lambda Chi Alpha, at (603) 689-3869, or at lca@wpi.edu<mailto:lca@wpi.edu>.

If you are interested in hearing more about how food or monetary donations are used, contact Gordon Hargrove, Friendly House Executive Director, or Susan Daly at (508) 755-4362.

Reaching our goal of 250,000 lbs of food is only possible with everyone’s support!

Anything that you can donate is greatly appreciated, the issue of hunger is a hard one to beat.

This Food Drive gives the families in need the opportunity to not have to worry about this as much going into this years holiday season.

Thanks,

Aaron Pepin

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Mechanical Engineering

InCity Letters, InCity Voices, Uncategorized

Video gaming – a potential economic engine for Worcester and MA

October 18, 2011 admin Leave a comment

By State Rep. Vincent Pedone

There has been quite a bit of activity at the State House since summer ended, and recently the House passed legislation expanding casino gaming in Massachusetts. The bill, which is designed to stimulate economic growth in the Commonwealth, will establish an independent gaming commission that could license up to three casinos in the state. 123 of my colleagues voted with me in passing this legislation, and it is our expectation that 15,000 jobs will be created in Massachusetts should the Senate and Governor approve it.

While casino gaming has dominated headlines across the Commonwealth, I also want to provide you with an update on another type of gaming legislation that I have been working on this past year – video gaming. In January, I filed a bill that would provide tax incentives to video game companies if they create jobs in Massachusetts.

Like the casino gaming legislation, my video game bill is designed to stimulate economic growth in the Commonwealth. I believe it will help make Massachusetts a hub for video game design and development, a burgeoning industry that is expected to surpass the size of both the music and movie industries by 2014.

By providing financial incentives to video game companies, the Commonwealth could attract and retain successful companies that already provide jobs to thousands of Massachusetts residents. Currently 76 video game companies employ more than 1,200 people here, and I believe we have the educational talent and resources to expand. Fourteen Massachusetts colleges have academic programs or courses in video game design, including Princeton Review nationally-ranked #6 WPI and #10 Becker College. Between those two schools, there are over 325 students in Worcester working toward degrees in video game design.

Massachusetts in the past has successfully nurtured the growth and development of business clusters in fields such as biotechnology, telecommunications, and healthcare. The Bay State’s unique mix of academic institutions, talented human resources, and venture capitalists enables it to take the lead position in different fields, and I believe we now are strongly positioned to be a leader in video gaming.

My bill is currently in the Joint Committee on Revenue, and a tentative hearing date is scheduled in October. By no means will this bill be a cure-all for our state’s economy, but it should stimulate growth in the Commonwealth if it passes.

Casino gaming and video gaming highlight Massachusetts’ necessity for economic stimulus, and both pieces of legislation are evidence that the legislature has already kicked back into high-gear. Much work is yet to be done, but I remain committed to helping our state’s creative economy grow.

InCity Letters

Friendly House to honor Camp Reach girls!

June 22, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Local Middle School-aged Girls Developed Solutions to Shelter’s Landscaping, Handicapped Accessibility Needs!

What: Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s (WPI) summer program for middle school-aged girls, Camp Reach, will be honored by the Friendly House community shelter and city and state leaders. Two groups of alumni from the 2006 and 2010 programs will be thanked for their work in improving the shelter’s landscaping and handicapped accessibility.

Now celebrating its 15th anniversary, Camp Reach is part of WPI’s K-12 outreach program, which is focused on introducing young people to the exciting world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Students are divided into teams and work with teachers to tackle meaningful and real problems around Worcester. Through their project, the students learn about the engineering design process in the context of a social or humanitarian problem or need.

Who: Among those attending the ceremony will be WPI Professor and Camp Reach coordinator Chrysanthe Demetry, Friendly House Executive Director Gordon Hargrove, State Rep. Vincent Pedone, D-Worcester; Worcester Mayor Joseph O’Brien, and Worcester City Councilor Barbara G. Haller. Members of the 2006 and 2010 Camp Reach teams that worked on the Friendly House projects will also be on hand to help with the ceremonial planting of a tree in the shelter’s yard.

When: Thursday, June 23, 2011, 3:30-5:30 p.m., rain or shine

Where: Friendly House Shelter: 87 Elm St., Worcester

Be there!

InCity Feature, InCity Letters, InCity Voices

WPI students refuse ExxonMobil CEO – join their guest commencement speaker!

May 12, 2011 admin

By Linnea Palmer Paton

It is frustrating to receive an education that allows you to think critically about the world, only to discover that the university [WPI] that gave it to you is avoiding critical thought, in the name of the status quo.

Climate change is a widespread, desperately urgent and crucial problem faced by humanity, and it is the absolute responsibility of the engineering and science community, especially its universities, to take the lead on addressing it.

So, naturally, when students and faculty at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) found out a month ago that Rex Tillerson, the CEO of ExxonMobil, would be speaking at commencement, many of them were furious.

They saw ExxonMobil as a canon for all things old and unsustainable: destruction of the environment, and the exploitation of two finite resources¾both the oil and the atmosphere’s storage capacity for CO2 waste.

This seemed incompatible with a ceremony understood to be about leaders and moving ahead, rather than about barons of the past. As one graduating senior puts it, “Being well-wished into our careers by Rex Tillerson is an insult to our generation. His leadership at ExxonMobil continues to threaten the peace, security, and prosperity of our futures. He is not a good role model, and we will not accept him as the figurehead of our graduation.”

Adding to the trouble was ExxonMobil’s disinformation campaign aimed at the credibility of the scientific community. Shortly after the establishment of the Kyoto protocol in 1998, ExxonMobil launched a covert PR effort worth upwards of $16 million. A memo leaked from the company set the tactic: the think tanks hired by ExxonMobil would attempt to popularize the notion that scientists were undecided on global warming, in the hope of stalling further policy action [1].

So, immediately after the announcement, 22 WPI faculty members wrote a letter to WPI’s President, Dennis Berkey, calling for him to rescind Tillerson’s invitation. Over 250 students signed a petition opposing the choice and calling for more involvement in the speaker selection process. Then, students gathered around the WPI chapter of Students for Just and Stable Future (SJSF) to organize a campaign to educate the WPI community about social and environmental justice. Continue reading WPI students refuse ExxonMobil CEO – join their guest commencement speaker! →